Manufacture of electric contactor prongs



Feb. 11, 1941. F. R. RE UTTER MANUFACTURE OF ELECTRIC CONTACTOR PRONGS Original Filed June 10, 1939 I INVENTOR FrederickRReutten BY r ' ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 11,1941 4 v n V t UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MANUFACTURED! ELECTRIC CONTACTOR. l

, PRONGS Frederick R. Reutter; Waterbury, Conn., assignor to Scoviil Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Original application June 10, 1939, Serial No. 278,451. Divided and this application January 20, 1940, Serial No. 314,806

f4 Claims. (Cl.29 155.55)

This invention relates to the manufacture of The manner in i h th rong I2 is produced electric contracto prongs and particularly to the is bset shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4 wherein the method'of form ng serrations or p ns on original blank is indicated by the numeral IS. the pron s f th pu p f providing a secure This original blank 13 out of which the prong 5 anchorage for the prongwhen inserted into an I: is fabricated is of the same width as the metal electric plu made of ubbe or' a simi r stock from which the blank is cut, the strip stock terlal. being shown in dotted outline of Fig. 2 and indi- The main object of this invention is to make cated-bythe letter X. During the operation of a Co a prong t e above e in which the parting the blanks from each other in the strip original metal stock from which the prong is X th o rations of piercing a terminal end 10 made is no wider than the finished width of the notch H at the inner end of the blank l2 and pr ne. nd y a sw sing p at on portions of two apertures l5 and I6 may be effected in the the stock are forced outwardly on opposite sides blank. I b y n he ri n l width of the pron blank In order to provide stock from which to cut d then y a pp Operation a series of serrateeth that will project beyond the original blank 16 t S r teeth-like P e s a p o d t width, a pair of longitudinal depressions l1 are in the drifted portions of the stock. provided in the blank face from both opposite h invention is a divisional plication of sides thereof and adjacent the edges of the blank y impending application fi e 0, 9, as shown in Fig. 3. These depressions on op- 20 Serial No. 278,451. posite sides of the blank as shown in Fig. 5 are 20 Other objects and advantages of this invninsubstantial alignment with each other for tion will be apparent from the following descripthe purpose ofcausing a substantial amount of tion which taken in connection with the accomthe stock to be forced outwardlyfrom opposite panying drawing discloses another form of my sides of that vicinity of the blank and form a invention as distinct from the above referred to pair of projecting wings ill of a substantial 25 application. length. While the sockets I! are shown as struck In the drawing: inwardly from two opposite flat planes of the Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through blank I3, it will be obvious that the wings IS the body portion of an electric plug showing a might be also formed by striking in depressions contactor prong in its finished state embedded of a greater degree of depth from only one side 30 therewithin. of the blank. The reason for having the de- Fig. 2 is a plan view of a prong member, per se; pressions struck in from two opposite sides is to as it appears after the first operation of piercing prevent a too serious fracture of the metal at and parting the blank from a strip of metal of that point and results in less hardship upon the a width no greater than the blank. tools. Simultaneously with the forming of the 35 Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the blank after depression ll, the outer end l9, the notch l4 and a secondary operation of swaging is performedto the piercing l6 may be slightly beveled so as to force longitudinal sections of the stock material give the blank a more finished appearance. outwardly from opposite sides of the original By a subsequent clipping or notching operablank width. tion a series of teeth 20 are cut into the outwardly Fig. 4 is a view showing the blank in its comprojected wings I8 in such a manner that they pleted form with serrated teeth clipped or are in the form of a series of serrations or sawnotched into the drifted stock portion of the like teeth with one edge of the notch preferably blank. disposed substantially perpendicular to the ion- Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through gltudinal axis of the blank, while the other edge the tooth portion of the blank along the line 5-5 is inclined to the axis so as to allow the prong of Fig. 4. to be more easily inserted into the plug I!) while In the drawing the numeral I ll indicates a the perpendicular sections will serve to bite into plug body which in this case may be of the soft the rubber with any outward force applied 50 rubber type having a socket ll provided therein thereto.

to receive the contactor'prong H in its finished With this method of cutting the teeth into state. The socket ll preferably is somewhat rethe blank by the last operation, the teeth in the stricted relative to the dimensions of the cross final form will all be uniform in size and shape section to the prong-sons to cause the prong and this is desirable when much depends upon to to be inserted therewithin only-bya forced lit. the efficiency of the teeth to afiord' a secure anchorage within the plug [0 after the assembly of the prong l2.

It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the exact form that is shown but may comprehend other methods of invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. The'method of producing a conductor prong for an electric connector plug comprising cutting a longitudinal blank from a strip of metal of the same width, swaging in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the blank an elongated socket adjacent one longitudinal edge thereof to cause a portion of the blank stock to be forced outwardly beyond the original edge of the blank in the form of a wing disposed in a plane common with the blank, and subsequently cutting a series of teeth-like barbs into said wing with said teeth-like barbs disposed in the san.e plane with said blank. 7

2. The method of producing a conductor prong for an electric connector plug comprising cuting a longitudinal blank from a strip of metal of the same width, swaging into said blank in a direction perpendicular thereto a pair of elongated sockets adjacent opposite longitudinal edge thereof to cause wing portions to be forced outwardly from opposite edges and on a plane common with the blank, and subsequently cutting a series of teeth-like barbs into said wing portions with said teeth-like barbs disposed in the same plane with said blank.

3. The method of producing a conductor prong for an electric connector plug comprising cutting a longitudinal blank from a. strip of metal of the same width, swaging into said blank from opposite sides and in a direction perpendicular thereto pairs of elongated sockets adjacent the edges of said blank to cause wing portions to be forced outwardly from opposite edges of said blank on a plane common therewith, and subsequently cutting a series of teeth-like barbs into said wing portions with said teeth-like barbs disposed in the same plane with said blank.

4. The method of producing a. conductor prong for an electric connector plug comprising cutting a longitudinal blank from a strip of metal of the same width, swaging into said blank in a. direction perpendicular thereto a pair of elongated sockets adjacent opposite longitudinal edges thereof to cause wing portions to be forced outwardly from opposite edges on a plane common with the blank, and subsequently clipping a series of buttress-shaped teeth into said wing portions with-said teeth disposed in the same plane with said blank.

FREDERICK R. REUTTER. 

